Processing apparatus



H D. RUSSELL ETAL rnocnssme APPARATUS Filed Nov. 30, 1943 2Shasta-Sheet;

INVENTORS I m '11 I Patented Oct. 8, 1946 PROCESSING APPARATUS Harold D.Russell and John I. Crabtree, Rochester, N. Y., assignors to EastmanKodak Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey ApplicationNovember 30,1943, Serial No. 512,348

8 Claims. 1

This invention relates to photography and particularly for a machine forprocessing photographic light-sensitive material such as film or paper.One object of our invention is to provide a portable processing machinein which material maybe processed without the use of a darkroom. Anotherobject of our invention is to provide a machine in which strip materialmay be processed by suitable fluids and a machine in which these fluidscan be retained in such a manner that the machine is capable of beinginverted without spilling the solutions. Another object of our inventionis to provide a processing machine in which it is not necessary toprovide a fluid-tight cover for the fluid treating compartments. Stillanother object of our invention is to provide a machine which isprimarily intended for use in an airplane for processing film takentherein and paper. Other objects will appear from the followingspecification, the novel features being particularly pointed out in theclaims at the end thereof.

At the present time most of the more compact type of processing machinesfor film and paper must be used with quantities of processing solutionand it is usually necessary to provide a moisture-tight cover for a tankholding the solution into which the material to be processed is placed.Sometimes such tanks are provided with lighttight drains or closuresthrough which different solutions may be introduced, but in themachines.

known to applicants there is almost always present a quantity ofsolution which. must be pre ared and disposed of. This is veryundesirable for many purposes and particularly where sensitized materialis to be processed in an airplane.

In most known types of processing machines the developing and fixingoperations have been separately carried out either in difierent tanks orby flowing the diflerent solutions into the same tank and mostprocessing machines known to applicants are far too bulk to take upconveniently in an airp ane.

Our improved developing machine, while particularly adapted for use inairplanes, can of course be conveniently used anywhere. It is designed,not only so that the complete machine will be light and compact, but sothat a roll of film or paper can be continuously drawn through themachine and wound up in a developed, fixed or stabilized condition as anoperator turns a crank on the outside of the machine. The completeoperation can be carried out very rapidly with our machine and withcertain preferred solutions the film may be moved 4 to 8 feet perminute.

Coming now to the drawings wherein like reference characters denote likeparts throughout:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a processing apparatus constructed inaccordance with and embodying a preferred form of our invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig 1 with the coverremoved;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the tank shown in the precedingfigures, certain parts being shown in elevation;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail section taken through one of the fiuidtreatment compartments;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 55 of Fi 1; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail showing a modifled form of our invention.

Our invention comprises broadly a processing apparatus in which stripmaterial is led through the apparatus about a number of guide rollersand to a take-up roll, the guide rollers directing the film throughprocessing compartments designed to carry the required processingsolutions into contact with the sensitized surface of the stripmaterial. By properly selecting the solutions used the operation ofdeveloping and fixing or stabiliz ng can be carried out continuously anda roll of film can be passed through the machine and wound up on thetake-up roll in a very short period of time.

As indicated in Fig. 1, the machine may consist of an elongated box-likemember I which includes side walls 2 and a cover 3. As indicated in Fig.3, the elongated box I may also include a bottom wall 4 and u ward yextending walls 5. 6, 1 and 3. The walls 5 and 6, together with sidewalls 2, form a supply chamber 9 for a roll of material H), such as filmor paper. to be processed. The chamber 9, if desired, may be renderedlight tight by a cover H which may be drawn out for the insertion orremoval of a roll of sensitized material which may be mounted oncentering pins [2. only one of which is shown in Fi 3.

From the supply chamber 9 the strip material S may be led throu h anopening M w ich may be rendered light tight of felt or plush l5, andinto the developing compartment I3. A pair of guide rollers l6 and I!are mounted in this chamber to hold the strip material S fiat againstthe bottom 4 of the developing compartment and the rollers l6 and I! arepreferably formed of real or artificial sponge rubber. Viscosespongematerial has been found very satisfactory.

From the development compartment IS the film may be led into a fixingcompartment l8 over a guide roller l9 which may be a rigid or woodenturns, the sponge block '25.is moved against the roller if desired. Thestrip material S then passes under a pair of guide rolls 23 and 2I,these rolls being preferably the as the rolls I6 and IT in that they areboth made of soft. moisture absorbing material such as real orartificial sponges. From the fixing compartment I3 the film is led overa rigid roller 22 beneath a rubber squeegee 23 and is wound on a take-upshaft 2 in a compartment 25 which may. if desired, be openat the end asshown in Fig. 3.

In each of the compartments I3.and .18 there are similar spongeapplicators 25 which include a large block of sponge material 21. Thissponge block carries a fiber plate 28 and a'topplate 29 to which thesponge 21 is attached and a cam or eccentric is provided for moving eachsponge. In the developing chamber I3 the'camw'illis' carried by a shaft3|, this shaft supporting a sprocket 32 which may be driven by asprocket chain 33. In the fixing compartment the cam or eccentric 34 is.carried by a shaft 35 which supports a sprocket 35 also driven by thechain 33. This chain passes over a sprocket. 31 carriedby a shaft 38which turns the guide roller 23 in a clockwise direction.

Thus the roller, Ziland the eccentrics or cams 30 and 34 will all beturned together. 'Each applicating sponge 21 is moved in the same manneras follows. Each time the eccentric 30 direction of movement of the filmand the sponge .block-may be raised and lowered duringthis movement asindicated in Fig. 4 through the contact of the cam 33 with the fiberblock 28 and the flange 29. strip material s, is normally carried alongby the stripmaterial so that the fiber block '28 will always remain incontact with the surface of the cam. As the film is moved through eachof the fluid treatment chambers thesponge is stroked backwardly andforwardly over the film so as to apply an even layer of solution to thesensitized surface of the strip material. Since it is necessary to movethe strip material through the machine the drive shown in Fig. 1 isemployed, As indicated by this figure, there is a handle 43 on the endof a crank 4| which may be turned by an operator to turn the shaft 42. Agear 43 on this shaft turns the gear 44 on shaft 45 so as to turn thesprocket 46' in a clockwisedirection. This causes a chain 41 to move asindicated by the arrows in Fig. 1 so as to turn sprocket 48 in acounterclockwise direction. Sprocket 48 is carried by a shaft 49 whichturns the sponge roller 2| in a counterclockwise direction. The shaft 49likewise carries a gear 5!] for turning the large gear 5! so that itsshaft 52 may turn the take-up shaft 24 on which the strip material iswound after processing. The chain 41 passes beneath an idler 53 and overa second idler 54 and also turns a sprocket 55 carried by a shaft 56.Shaft 55 turns the sponge roller IS in a clockwise direction.

Chain 41 also passes over a sprocket 51 on shaft 58, shaft 58 turningthe sponge guide roller I! in a counterclockwise direction.

It will b noticed from the above description that the sponge rollers I5and 20 positioned as the film enters the processing compartments turn ina direction opposite to that of the movement of the film. Th reason forthis is that these rollers may carry a very small quantity of thetreatment fluids into smooth and even contact with the sensitizedsurface of the incoming film.

The spong rollers I! and 2I both turn in a The sponge block, since itrests on the counterclockwise direction to assist movement of the filmand to prevent small quantities of the treatment solutions from beingcarried up and out of their respective compartments. It will be noticedfrom Fig. 4 that the sponge rollers have their shafts positioned so thatthey are somewhat, compressed against the bottom wall 4 of theprocessing apparatus. The reason for this is that this compressionsqueezes out the treat- 10 ment fluid from the rollers and tends to wipethe ilfilm without permitting the treatment solution to move out of thechamber. In fact, any small quantity oftreatment fluid between the twosets of rollers I6 and IT or 20 to H is confined to the space between.the rollers because these rollers are not only compressed against thbottom 4 of the apparatus but each roller. as indicated in ,lifig- 5,.isalso mounted to form a substantially moisture-tight connection with theside walls 2 of the machine in the following manner. The side walls 2arerecessed and are provided with cups 69 which may be of stainlesssteel or other metal not affected by the processing solutions. Since therollers tightly fit these cups and press toward th bottom 4 of thecompartment, little if any moisture can leak out of the processingcompartment from between a pair of guide rollers such as I6 and IT.

The sprocket 46 is carried by the shaft 45 which; in' turn, is keyed tothe shaft 33 so that the sprocket 3': carried thereby is turned with thesprocket 46. "Thus motion may be transmitted to the chain 33 from thechain 4'! so that the operator can move the film through the machine byturning the single handle 43.

'If desired the cover 3 may be hingedly attached at 62 to one of theside walls 2 and we prefer to provide latches 63 operable by handles 64to engage lugs 65 carried by the cover to hold the cover in place.

With our apparatus, as above described, the operation of developingafilm or a strip of paper is extremely simple. A roll or spool of thestrip material may be mounted on centering pins I2 45 in compartment 9and the cover I I may be slid on to make a light-tight connection afterthe end of the film has been thrust through the opening I4 and threadedabout the various rollers, being finally attached to the take-up shaft24. It is customary to provide either a separate leader strip ora'leader for aerialfilm which is merely a continuation of the sensitizedstrip and which may be dyed or otherwise rendered light tight.Therefore, that portion of film or paper which threaded through themachine need not be protected from light'during threading. The cover 3.is then latched in place and the operator turns the handle 49 at therequired speed. A pawl I0 pivoted to the side wall at H preventsmovement of th handle in the wrong direction. The handle is turned andthe film moves slowly' through the apparatus which has been previouslyconditioned for processing by dipping the sponge of the "developingcompartment I3 in the desired developing solution and by dipping thesponge of the fixing compartment I8 in the desired fixing or stabilizingsolution. While both these sponges are substantially'filled withsolution, the solution does not flow inanyquantity from the sponges asthey are oscillated back and forth against the moving strip material sothat each sponge applies an even layer of its solution to the sensitizedsurface of the strip material in a sufficient quantity to process thematerial but not in a sufficient quantity to permit a poolof solutionwhich, for obvious reasons, is very undesirable for use in an airplane.The processed film may be completely wound up on the take-up shaft 24and may then either be used in a damp condition at once or it may bepassed through a suitable drier and stored for future use.

It will be noticed that any small quantities of solution which may tendto leave the development compartment l3 will be sopped up by the spongeroller I! and the same is true in the fix ing compartment 18 where thestrip material must pass partially around the compressed sponge roller2!. However, any minute amounts of solution may be finally squeegeed oilthe surface of the strip material by means of the rubber squeegee 23which normally presses toward the solid guide roller 22.

While we have described a preferred embodimerit of our invention it isobvious that changes will readily occur to one skilled in the art. InFig. 6 we have shown a modified means of oscillating the sponge block25, and in this instance the spong block may be positively moved in bothdirections. Here the sponge block I28 may be provided with a sponge I21,A lug I28 may be pivotally attached at 129 to a link I30 which in turnmay be pivotally attached to an eccentric pin I 3| carried by a disk I32which may be attached to a shaft I33. This shaft, like shaft M forinstance, may be driven by the sprocket 32. of Fig. 3. With this methodof oscillating the sponge block, it may be made to oscillate at anydesired speed with respect to the speed of move-- ment of the film sinceit does not rely on the film for moving it in one direction. A sponge 13may be provided in chamber 25 to catch possible drops of treatmentsolution.

Our processing apparatus, as can be seen from the above description, maybe extremely compact and sufiiciently light weight to be readilyportable so that an operator can rapidly process film in an airplane. Itis of course obvious that such processing apparatus may be equallyuseful for processing films and papers wherever it is desirable to havea compact, light and portable machine suitable for use for daylightwork.

We claim:

1. A fiuid treating compartment for a machine for processing stripmaterial comprising bottom, side and end walls, one of said end wallsconstituting a first end wall and the other of the end wallsconstituting a second end wall, a pair of resilient rollers, one mountedadjacent the first end wall and the other mounted adjacent the secondend wall, both of said rollers pressing toward the bottom wall, powermeans for turning the roller adjacent the first end wall in acounterclockwise direction and for turning the roller adjacent thesecond end wall in a clockwise direction, a sponge means movably mountedbetween the rollers and driven by said power means for turning therollers for carrying aquantity of fluid into contact with a strip offilm stretched between the rollers, said fiuid being confined to thefilm between the rollers by the pressure of the resilient rollersagainst said film and towards the bottom of the treating compartment.

2. A fluid treating compartment for a machine for processing stripmaterial comprising bottom, side and end walls, one of said end wallsconstituting a first end wall and the other of the end wallsconstituting a second end wall, a pair of resilient rollers, one mountedadjacent the first end wall and the other mounted adjacent the secondend wall, both of said rollers pressing toward the bottom wall, powermeans for turning the rollers in opposite directions whereby thatportion of the rollers pressing toward the bottom wall may turn in adirection away from the'center of the compartment thereby tending toretain fiuid therein, a sponge, a carrier for the spongemovably mountedin the compartment, power means for moving the sponge and its carrierwhereby said sponge may apply aquantity of fluid to a film lying on thbottom of said compartment and pressed flat thereagainst by saidrollers, said rollers and sponge tending to retain fiuid between therollers.

3. A fluid treating compartment for a machine for processing stripmaterial comprising bottom, side and end walls, one of said end wallsconstituting a first end wall and the other of the end wallsconstituting a second end wall, a pair of resilient rollers, one mountedadjacent the first end wall and the other mounted adjacent the secondend wall, both of said rollers pressing toward the bottom wall, a spongemovably mounted between the rollers, power-operated means for moving therollers and sponge for causing the sponge to apply a quantity ofsolution to a film stretched between said rollers and against the bottomof the compartment to confine solution to the compartment and apply thesolution evenly to the film.

4. In a machine for processing photographic strip material thecombination with a housing, of a supply compartment, 8. developmentcompartment, a fixing compartment and a take-up compartment arrangedtherein in end to end position, a plurality of guide rollers fordirecting the strip material through the compartments including pairs ofresilient guide rollers in each end of the development and fixingcompartments and mounted adjacent the bottom of said cornpartments, asponge block adapted to carry treatment fluids mounted in each of thedeveloping and fixing compartments, a drive means for moving the pairsof guide rolls in the bottoms of the developing and fixing compartment,and means also operable by the drive means for moving said sponge blockswhen said guide rollers are moved to stroke a treatment fluid carried bysaid sponges evenly upon a strip of photographic material lying beneaththe pairs of guide rollers and sponge blocks.

5. A combination according to claim 4, but wherein the rollers of eachpair of rollers in the developing and fixing compartments are rotated inopposite directions away from the sponge block lying between saidrollers.

6. A combination according to claim 4, but wherein the resilient rollersof each pair of rollers in the developing and fixing chamber havesubstantially fluid tight engagement with the walls of the developingand fixing chambers to retain fluid treatment solutions between saidrollers therein.

7. A combination according to claim 4, but wherein the resilientincoming roller of each pair of rollers in the developing and fixingchambers is turned in a direction opposite to that in which the stripmaterial is moved to evenly spread treatment fiuid leaking from the saidsponge block thereon before said strip material is engaged by the spongeblock.

8. A fluid treating compartment for a machine for rocessing stripmaterial passed through the compartment in one direction, saidcompartment comprising bottom, side and a first and second end wall,pairs of rollers spaced at the ends of the bottom walls, one adjacentthe first end wall H and the other adjacent the second end wall; stripmaterial entering the compartment overthe first end wall and under theroller adjacent thereto and passing from the compartment under theroller adjacentthe secondend Wall and over the second end wall, amovably mounted fluid applying device mounted-in the compartment andbetween the rollers, power means for operating the 1 rollers and themovably mounted fluid applying zdevice whereby the applied fluid'may' becon- 0 fined betweenethe rollers, the rollers both being resilient andmountedlin the. compartment with

